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Author
Topic: Need Clarification on ARS Symptoms (Read 38790 times)

I had an exposure with a Thai CSW during vaginal intercourse about 7 weeks back. We used protection, but for a brief time i.e. about 5 seconds my condom boke. We replaced the condom and continued our sex. After I returned to US and 10 days after exposure I got my entire STD panel and HIV test. All were negative.

However, there are some symptoms that are really worrying me and I would really appreciate honest feedback. Even though I know that getting tested is the best solution and symptoms are never reliable.

Here are my symptoms:I DONT have any FEVERAt about 2-3 weeks, I got some dryness/itching in my throat. It went away after some time on its own At about 3-4 weeks, I had some burning like sensation in my throat/chest, but went away in 3-4 daysAt 5 weeks, I got a slight rash. It was limited to my cheeks, under the eyes only. No where else on my body and it looked worse sometimes and sometimes it was OK. It wasn't too bad, but noticeable. Can this be ARS rash?At 6-7 weeks, I started getting some pain in my left lower leg. The pain too is sometimes more noticeable and sometimes its not there at all.

Can someone please let me know if any of these above things are indications of ARS. Do ARS symptoms usually show up in 2-4 weeks Do they usually come with Fever or not really.

Your risk was absolutely minimal. HIV is not an easy virus to transmit. It's significantly harder to accomplish from female to male. Given that you were protected most of the time and that it was a single incident the odds are overwhelmingly in your favor that you will test negative. Get tested at 13 weeks past the incident for a definitive result.

None of your symptoms are in any way suggestive of HIV. If they persist you should discuss them with your doctor.

Thanks Andy. I really appreciate your reply and assurance. Do you have any info if testing after 10 days mean anything. The fact that I dint get STD mean anything about my possiblity of getting HIV? Finally, I am really worried about the symptoms, but it seems from your reply that none of the symptoms are worrisome? Does this include rash and leg pain. Also is absence of FEVER encoraging?

i am indeed plannning to get tested at 13 weeks and get an answer one way or the other. i was trying to get some assurances from the symptoms or lack of them and trying to guess my status. Obviuosly not a very good idea....

the only thing that worries me the rash that i got on my cheeks. though it was NOT accomanied with fever and was limited to my cheeks, it sort of met the description of ARS rash. Does anyone know or give me pointers to what ARS rash is etc.

Finally, I was wondering if anyone have idea what %age of people that get affected test +ve 10 days after exposure?

What have we told you? Your symptoms (whatever they are) are not ARS. You were not at risk of HIV infection in first place.

Now I have to say that it's probably not helpful (and more than just a little bit creepy) for you to be hunting down your previous fucks and interrogating them about their symptoms. Stop doing that, it makes you sound like a weirdo.

We are not going to get into a discussion with you about symptoms or rashes or anything of that sort. The ARS rash is a rash not unlike those associated with a number of viral infections.

Now you can test at 13 weeks if you want to. The result will be negative.

You're on a bad path, Andy. All it will do is fuel your anxiety without giving the answer that only an HIV test can. Your rash? The one associated with ARS turns up on torso and limbs, not the face. It's flat, appears for a week or two and is gone. But I don't even want to discuss symptoms with you. Another not good path.

Get yourself productively busy with other matters in your life. Don't shake your head and say you're too worried to do that because I won't buy it. Get busy and the waiting time is going to pass more quickly than you might imagine is possible.

Andy and Matty, Apaologies of the PM's... I was wondering if anyone of you can comment on my questions:

Does ARS (whenever it occurs) comes with Fever?Does absence of STD's = absence of HIV (especially in low risk situation), especially if its more fragile virus to get?Does taking a flu shot mask ARS symptoms?Being uncircumsed increase my likelihood to get the virus

Neither the presence nor the absence of other STDs can be the means of determining if HIV is an issue. The only way to know about HIV status if there has been a genuine risk is by getting tested at 13 weeks past the most recent risky incident.

A flu shot will not mask ARS.

Uncircumcised men are at greater risk for transmission during unprotected intercourse.

As you've been repeatedly told, symptoms or even the lack of symptoms will tell you nothing about your hiv status. Only testing will.

Your risk was very slight. I've yet to see an insertive partner become infected following a condom break and I don't expect you to be the first. Test at three months and collect what I fully expect to be a negative result.

Read through all three condom and lube links in my signature line so you can avoid breakages in future. A correctly used condom rarely breaks.

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

i am waiting for my 13th week post exposure to get tested. I was also wondering if anyone of you can validate the post that I read on medhelp from a Dr. that said about 50% of people will test +ve after 10 days even though CDC has tougher guidelines.

Also, my rash seems to have come back and is again limited to the same areas i.e. cheeks. smeone mentioned to me that it was LUPUS and its a leaing indicator of HIV. Is that true?

If you're worried about your rash, see a doctor. It's nothing to do with hiv.

The average time to seroconversion is 22 days. The vast majority of people who have actually been infected will seroconvert and test positive by six weeks. As for 50% in ten days, it sounds plausible but there's no way to be certain. What is certain is that a test at three months is conclusive.

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

What makes you guys so confident that none of my symptoms are ARS related? PLEASE share your rationalewith me. Is it beacuse I had a"low" risk incident or because of some other reason. I am really getting scared about getting tested and think that I may have to hear bad news... It will make me more confident about going for my test.

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

friends, sorry for being so childish.. i hate to be like this, but in the last couple of days i started getting some back pain all the way to my neck (something like a muscle pull) and was wondering if this was any sign?

Andy, Matty and Ann,

One things that i forgot to mention in my symptoms is that when I was getting burning sensation in my throat/chest 3-4 weeks after exposure, I also got cut on my tounge (no ulcers)... Does this change your risk assessment for me?

I can't help wondering if you're listening to anything other than the scary thoughts your mind is dishing out, thoughts which by the way have absolutely no basis in HIV science. Coming up with more so-called symptoms is not going to change what we have to said based on your description of the incident.

We've told you that we expect you to test negative.

And Tim's right. You're on the verge of getting a time out. Get productively busy with other things in your life while you're waiting to test. It will help to pass the time more quickly than you may imagine is possible.

Then you can collect the negative result we all expect you'll receive.

I am so sorry, but my annxiety levels are back high again. I was speaking to an AIDS activitist and told him about my story and symptoms. He was suggesting that many of my symptoms are STRONG indications of ARS and that I can expect to test POSITIVE. I am really scared now. This lack of clarity and conflicting information is definetly taking a toll on me.

PLEASE help me understand why all of you think my symptoms are not ARS related. Is is beacuse I dint get FEVER? Or is beacuse of some other reason. I am also told that there is conflicting information that ARS symproms are bundled or sequential (as in my case) and either is possible.

You've spoken to someone you characterize as "an AIDS activist" who said something that scared you. And we're supposed to take that seriously and come up with some fresh convincing evidence to easy your fears? Uh uh. I don't think so, fella.

I've been an AIDS activist since 1987. So what! You can be a dumb activist too. Being an activist as such doesn't necessarily give you credentials to speak reliably about HIV issues. We're very, very careful here about the information we give you.

Whether you accept what we say or not is strictly up to you. But I can tell you we're not about to go any further on a merry-go-round of HIV fears with you that have absolutely no basis in HIV science.

Get tested whenever you waiting time is up and collect the inevitable negative result. How much you torture yourself yourself unnecessarily during the in-between time is your decision.

And this is your last warning. If you come back with more this self-indulgent dramatzing you're getting a time out.

I am sorry if I offended the knowledge and advise that you and other forum members have offered. I fully respect it and take whatever you tell me very seriouly. I hope you understand the ups and downs of going through this waiting period without having too much of understanding on how to seperate good information from bad information.

I am trying to get your assurance that my symptoms are not reflective of ARS and I am sure there is a rationale for it which I was curious to know. I understand that my incident was low risk and had it been no risk, I would have been able to understand all this more easily.

I dont want to be the first or 1 in that 1:2000 that gets infected after a low risk exposure...

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

I am now is my 11th week post exposure and waiting for that magic cut-off of 13 weeks to get tested. However, I wanted to run one quick thing by you and would really appreciate your feedback.

Over the last couple of days I am having some severe neck pain that is limited to my shoulder area. After getting a little bit of massage it seems to have improved a lot but not gone. Is this anything that I should worry about. Is joint pain associated with ARS localized to one area or is it more generalized and spread throughout the body.

Also, at the same time that I started having neck pain my tounge seems to be acting up again as well. It is cut from couple of places and though its getting better, it doesnt seem completely normal. I dont have any mouth ulcers, just cuts on my tounge. I did a huge mistake of looking up symptoms and came across what is know as Oral Thrush, which according to people is a leading indicator of HIV/ARS. Is cut tounge a symptom of oral thrush and HIV? Please let me know. I am also concerened since this is the second time this has happened in last 6 weeks. The first time I got cut tounge was around 3 weeks after exposure and was accompanied with burning sensation in my throat and chest (that time I dint have mouth ulers also). Is this something that I need to worry about as sign of ARS or just something that is annxiety driven and can ignore it.

How many times do you have to be told that symptoms mean nothing? We do not discuss symptoms here.

Come back with symptoms one more time and you're getting a time out, regardless of where you are in your window period. You've been told you are unlikely to test positive after this condom break. Now give it a rest.

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

Thanks for your help. I was reviewing your comments in response to another members query about the risk associated with condom breakage and brief exposure where your advice was that the risk associated after these types of incident is "theoretical." Is that beacuse there needs to be sufficent amount of liquid exchange that needs to take place for a sufficent amount of time for risk to be elevated? Does the advice given to him apply to my case as well? Please let me know.

I would REALLY REALLY appreciate if you can help me ONE LAST TIME. PLEASE answer these question for me and I promise not to bother you guys again.

In reading about HIV and ARS, I came across a couple of reports that said that oral ulcers are highly specific and predicitive of ARS. Looking back at my symptoms about 25-26 days post esposure, I got a tounge ulcers or cuts on my tounge (not sure if they are the same thing). This was accompanied by burning/pain like sensation in my throat/chest which went away in a couple of days. I dint have any fever or any other symptom at that time.

I wanted to know from you:

1. Can oral ulcers associated with ARS be reflective in "cuts" on tongue or tongue ulcers. I dint have any canker sores or any other sores in my mouth? is that possible?2. Are oral ulcers in ARS usually accompanied with some other ARS symptoms or can they be a ymptom themselves?3. If they are not ARS related, what can it be?4. I got tonge ulcers with a very mild white tongue 10 weeks post exposure also, is this a worrying sign.

Oral ulcers are a very common occurence. They are absolutely not an HIV specific event.

You need to stop surfing the web because in your current mindset you're seizing on anything and everything which only feeds your fears.

The risk for transmission during your incident with a broken condom was very, very low. I expect you will test negative. Frankly, I am unwilling to discuss this any further with you. You need to stop indulging in all this unwarranted drama and instead get productively busy with other things in your life until you can test. The waiting period to testing will pass more quickly than you imagine is possible.

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts